Tassel Apparatus For Penny Loafers

ABSTRACT

A tassel apparatus adapted to be used with a penny loafer to transform the penny loafer into a tassel loafer. The tassel apparatus comprises a base member and at least one tassel secured to the base member. The base member is sized and configured to be readily inserted into and readily removed from a penny-receiving slot of the penny loafer such that the penny loafer is readily transformable between a penny loafer configuration and a tassel loafer configuration.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to shoes having multiple sole members.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the invention is a tassel apparatus adapted to be used with a shoe of the type known as a penny loafer to transform the penny loafer into a tassel loafer. The penny loafer has a sole and an upper. The upper includes a penny-receiving slot sized to receive a penny. The tassel apparatus comprises a base member and at least one tassel secured to the base member. The base member is sized and configured to be readily inserted into and readily removed from the penny-receiving slot of the penny loafer such that the penny loafer is readily transformable between a penny loafer configuration and a tassel loafer configuration.

Another aspect of the invention is a kit comprising an ornament apparatus, and a packaging or a removable tag. The ornament apparatus is adapted to be used with a penny loafer to transform the penny loafer into an ornament loafer. The penny loafer has a sole and an upper, and the upper includes a penny-receiving slot sized to receive a penny. The ornament apparatus comprises a base member and at least one ornament secured to the base member. The base member is sized and configured to be readily inserted into and readily removed from the penny-receiving slot of the penny loafer such that the penny loafer is readily transformable between a penny loafer configuration and an ornament loafer configuration. The packaging or removable tag includes indicia. The indicia includes the name or logo of a school, athletic team, fraternity or sorority. At least a portion of the tassel of the tassel apparatus is of a first color, the first color being a color of said school, athletic team, fraternity or sorority.

Another aspect of the invention is a shoe apparatus comprising a penny loafer and an ornament apparatus. The penny loafer has a sole and an upper secured to the sole. The upper includes a penny-receiving slot sized to receive a penny. The ornament apparatus comprises a base member and at least one ornament. The at least one ornament is secured to the base member. The base member is sized and configured to be readily inserted into and readily removed from the penny-receiving slot of the penny loafer such that the penny loafer is readily transformable between an ornament loafer configuration and a penny loafer configuration.

Another aspect of the invention is a method of transforming a penny loafer into an ornament loafer. The penny loafer has a sole and an upper. The upper is secured to the sole. The upper includes a penny-receiving slot sized to receive a penny. The method comprises releasably attaching an ornament apparatus to the penny loafer adjacent the penny-receiving slot. The ornament apparatus comprises a base member and at least one ornament. The at least one ornament is secured to the base member. The attaching of the ornament apparatus to the penny loafer is accomplished by inserting the base of the ornament apparatus into the penny-receiving slot.

Another aspect of the present invention is an ornament apparatus adapted to be used with a penny loafer to transform the penny loafer into an ornament loafer. The penny loafer has a sole and an upper. The upper includes a penny-receiving slot sized to receive a penny. The ornament apparatus comprises a base member, and at least one ornament secured to the base member. The base member is sized and configured to be readily inserted into and readily removed from the penny-receiving slot of the penny loafer such that the penny loafer may be readily transformed between a penny loafer configuration and an ornament loafer configuration.

Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the operation of the invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an embodiment of a tassel apparatus in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the tassel apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of an embodiment of a shoe apparatus in accordance with the present invention, the shoe apparatus including a penny loafer and a tassel apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a kit in accordance with the present invention, the kit comprising a first ornament apparatus, a second ornament apparatus, and packaging;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of another embodiment of a kit in accordance with the present invention, the kit comprising a first ornament apparatus, a second ornament apparatus, and a tag.

Reference numerals in the written specification and in the drawing figures indicate corresponding items.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of an ornament apparatus in accordance with the present invention comprises a tassel apparatus indicated by reference numeral 20 in FIG. 1. The tassel apparatus 20 comprises a base member 22, a first tassel 24, a second tassel 26, and a cord 28. The first and second tassels 24, 26 are secured to the base member 22 via the cord 28. The cord 28 has a first end region secured to the first tassel 24, a second end region secured to the second tassel 26, and an intermediate region threaded through a pair of holes 30 in the base member 22. The tassel apparatus 20 preferably, but not necessarily, also includes a retaining clip 32 secured to the intermediate portion of the cord 28. Alternatively, the tassels may be secured to the base member via a knot (not shown) without departing from the scope of this invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the tassel apparatus 20 is adapted to be releasably connected to a penny loafer 40, to transform the penny loafer into a tassel loafer. The penny loafer 40 includes a sole 42 and an upper 44. The upper 44 includes a penny-receiving slot 46 sized and configured to receive a United States penny. The base member 22 of the tassel apparatus 20 is sized and configured to be readily inserted into and readily removed from the penny-receiving slot 46 of the penny loafer 40 such that the penny loafer is readily transformable between a tassel loafer configuration (shown in FIG. 3) and a penny loafer configuration (i.e., a configuration in which the tassel apparatus is not attached to the penny loafer). The base member 22 is preferably a disk-shaped portion, although the base member could be of other shapes without departing from the scope of this invention. The upper 44 is of a shape and configuration for releasably retaining the disk-shaped portion in the penny-receiving slot 46. The base member 22 may be of approximately the same shape and size as that of a penny, and may comprise a penny.

Although the ornament apparatus of this embodiment is a tassel apparatus, it is to be understood that ornaments other than tassels may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, instead of the tassels, ornaments such as puffs, pompoms, bows, bells, figurines, parts including logos, etc., could be secured to the base member so that the ornament can releasably attached to the penny receiving slot of the penny loafer to adorn the penny loafer.

An embodiment of a kit of the present invention is indicated by reference numeral 110 in FIG. 4. The kit 110 comprises a first ornament apparatus 112, a second ornament apparatus 114, and packaging 116 (e.g., a box or bag). The first and second ornament apparatus 112, 114 may be partially or completely within the packaging 116. Each of the first and second ornament apparatus 112, 114, may have the same or similar components as that of the ornament apparatus described above, and the description above is equally applicable to each of the first and second ornament apparatus 112, 114. For convenience, the ornaments on each of the first and second ornament apparatus 112, 114 are represented as tassels in FIG. 4, but it is to be understood that the first and second ornament apparatus 112, 114 are schematic representations of any ornament apparatus having a base member and one or more ornaments secured to the base member via a cord or by other suitable means. In other words, the ornaments of the first and second ornament apparatus 112, 114 may be any suitable ornament such as one or more tassels, puffs, pompoms, bows, bells, figurines, parts including logos, etc. The packaging 116 includes indicia 118. The indicia 118 may include the name or logo of a school, athletic team, fraternity or sorority. At least a portion of one of the tassels or ornaments of the first ornament apparatus 112 is of a first color, and at least a portion of one of the tassels or ornaments of the second ornament apparatus 114 is of a second color, the second color being different from the first color. The first and second colors are colors of such school, athletic team, fraternity or sorority. For example, the indicia could comprise the name or a logo of a university (e.g., the University of Florida, or University of Notre Dame), with the first and second colors being colors associated with such university (e.g., orange and blue for the University of Florida, or gold and blue for the University of Notre Dame). To the extent the ornaments are tassels, both tassels of the first ornament apparatus 112 could be of the first color and both tassels of the second ornament apparatus 114 could be of the second color. Alternatively, each of the first ornament apparatus 112 and second tassel apparatus could include a tassel of the first color and a tassel of the second color. In yet another alternative, each tassel could include a portion of the first color and a portion of the second color. It is also to be understood that the ornament may be a depiction of an object associated with a school, athletic team, fraternity or sorority, such as a gator (associated with the University of Florida) or a clover leaf (associated with the University of Notre Dame).

Another embodiment of a kit of the present invention is indicated by reference numeral 210 in FIG. 5. The kit 210 comprises a first ornament apparatus 212, a second ornament apparatus 214, and a removable tag 216. The kit 210 is the same as the kit 110, except the kit 210 includes the removable tag 216 instead of the packaging 116. The removable tag 216 includes indicia 218. The indicia 218 is of the same type as the indicia 118 described above with respect to FIG. 4. Thus, the description given above with respect to the indicia 118 is equally applicable to the indicia 218.

Referring again to FIGS. 1-3, to transform the penny loafer 40 from a penny loafer configuration to a tassel loafer configuration, a user merely inserts the base 22 of the tassel apparatus 20 into the penny-receiving slot 46 of the penny loafer 40, such that the first and second tassels 24, 26 are on a top surface of the upper and dangle from the base member.

In view of the foregoing, it should be appreciated that the invention has several advantages over the prior art.

As various modifications could be made in the constructions and methods herein described and illustrated without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.

It should also be understood that when introducing elements of the present invention in the claims or in the above description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, the terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be open-ended and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, the term “portion” should be construed as meaning some or all of the item or element that it qualifies. Moreover, use of identifiers such as first, second, and third should not be construed in a manner imposing any relative position or time sequence between limitations. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A tassel apparatus adapted to be used with a penny loafer to transform the penny loafer into a tassel loafer, the penny loafer having a sole and an upper, the upper including a penny-receiving slot sized to receive a penny, the tassel apparatus comprising: a base member; at least one tassel secured to the base member; the base member being sized and configured to be readily inserted into and readily removed from the penny-receiving slot of the penny loafer such that the penny loafer may be readily transformed between a penny loafer configuration and a tassel loafer configuration.
 2. A tassel apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the base member comprises a generally disk-shaped portion.
 3. A tassel apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein the shape of the base member is approximately the same as a penny.
 4. A tassel apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein the size of the base member is approximately the same as a penny.
 5. A tassel apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the base member comprises a penny.
 6. A tassel apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the at least one tassel comprises first and second tassels.
 7. A tassel apparatus as set forth in claim 6 further comprising a cord secured to the first tassel and secured to the second tassel.
 8. A tassel apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein the first and second tassels are secured to the base member via the cord.
 9. A tassel apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein the cord is threaded through at least one hole in the base member.
 10. A kit comprising the tassel apparatus of claim 1, the kit further comprising a packaging or a removable tag, the packaging or removable tag including indicia, the indicia including the name or logo of a school, athletic team, fraternity or sorority, at least a portion of the tassel of the tassel apparatus being of a first color, the first color being a color of said school, athletic team, fraternity or sorority.
 11. A kit as set forth in claim 10 wherein the tassel apparatus constitutes a first tassel apparatus, the kit further comprising a second tassel apparatus, the second tassel apparatus comprising a second base member and at least one second tassel secured to the second base member, the second base member being sized and configured to be readily inserted into and readily removed from a penny-receiving slot of a penny loafer, at least a portion of the second tassel being of a second color different from the first color, the second color being a color of said school, athletic team, fraternity or sorority.
 12. A shoe apparatus comprising: a penny loafer having a sole and an upper secured to the sole, the upper including a penny-receiving slot sized to receive a penny; an ornament apparatus comprising a base member and at least one ornament, the at least one ornament being secured to the base member, the base member being sized and configured to be readily inserted into and readily removed from the penny-receiving slot of the penny loafer such that the penny loafer is readily transformable between an ornament loafer configuration and a penny loafer configuration.
 13. A shoe apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein the base member of the ornament apparatus comprises a generally disk-shaped portion of a size to fit within the penny-receiving slot, the upper being of a shape to retain the disk-shaped portion within the penny-receiving slot.
 14. A shoe apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein the at least one ornament comprises first and second ornaments.
 15. A shoe apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein the first ornament is of a first color and wherein the second ornament is of a second color different from the first color.
 16. A shoe apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein at least a portion of the first ornament is of a first color and wherein at least a portion of the second ornament is of a second color different from the first color.
 17. A shoe apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein the first and second ornaments are secured to the base member via at least one cord.
 18. A shoe apparatus as set forth in claim 17 wherein the at least one cord comprises a cord having a first end region, a second end region, and an intermediate region, the first ornament being secured to the first end region of the cord, the second ornament being secured to the second end region of the cord, the intermediate region of the cord being threaded through a hole in the base member.
 19. A shoe apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein the first ornament comprises a first tassel and wherein the second ornament comprises a second tassel.
 20. A method of transforming a penny loafer into an ornament loafer, the penny loafer having a sole and an upper, the upper being secured to the sole, the upper including a penny-receiving slot sized to receive a penny, the method comprising: releasably attaching an ornament apparatus to the penny loafer adjacent the penny-receiving slot, the ornament apparatus comprising a base member and at least one ornament, the at least one ornament being secured to the base member, the attaching of the ornament apparatus to the penny loafer being accomplished by inserting the base of the ornament apparatus into the penny-receiving slot.
 21. A method as set forth in claim 20 wherein the at least one ornament comprises first and second tassels, wherein the first and second tassels are secured to the base member via a cord, and wherein the attaching of the tassel apparatus to the penny loafer is accomplished such that the first and second tassels are on a top surface of the upper and dangle from the base member.
 22. An ornament apparatus adapted to be used with a penny loafer to transform the penny loafer into an ornament loafer, the penny loafer having a sole and an upper, the upper including a penny-receiving slot sized to receive a penny, the ornament apparatus comprising: a base member; at least one ornament secured to the base member; the base member being sized and configured to be readily inserted into and readily removed from the penny-receiving slot of the penny loafer such that the penny loafer may be readily transformed between a penny loafer configuration and an ornament loafer configuration.
 23. A kit comprising the ornament apparatus of claim 22, the kit further comprising a packaging or a removable tag, the packaging or removable tag including indicia, the indicia including the name or logo of a school, athletic team, fraternity or sorority, at least a portion of the ornament of the ornament apparatus being of a first color, the first color being a color of said school, athletic team, fraternity or sorority. 